Cruise crews make petition for the resumption of the season

anchored in Port of Santos, crew members of the five cruise ships of the summer season of the Brazil created a petition as a form of appeal to government entities for the resumption of tourist navigation to be released.

The initiative had already gathered more than 7,600 signatures around 5 pm this Saturday (15). The appeal is especially based on the direct impact on the economy and on the generation of jobs in the sector.

data of Brazilian Association of Cruise Ships (CLIA) suggest that the cruise season in the country supports the generation of 24,000 jobs, one in every 13 tourists who board one of the five ships that sail along the Brazilian coast. They also calculate an injection of R$1.7 billion in the economy.

The decision to voluntarily suspend the season came after Anvisa recommended that passengers no longer board cruise ships amid a ‘boom’ of cases of Covid-19 between who was on board. The deadline, now extended, for this suspension goes until 4/2.

Aboard one of the ships at anchor, Bárbara Kulaif spoke to CNN. She works on a ship in the area known as “adult entertainment”, which basically refers to the organization of scavenger hunts, games, parties, shows and dynamics between passengers. Her sector also takes care of embarkation and disembarkation, making the first and last contact with tourists.

“The undersigned’s idea was to really give our version of the facts. Because it was only shown the vision of some passengers and what there was to talk about. And Anvisa even announced the numbers that in the end showed that the infection rate was very low. The protocols are the strictest in the country compared to other sectors, such as concerts, stadiums, where the same protocols are not followed with the same rigidity”, said Bárbara.

There are about 7 thousand crew members anchored in CLIA accounts. In the case of MSC, for example, MSC Seaside has a capacity of 1,513 crew members, MSC Splendida has a capacity of 1,370 and MSC Preziosa has a capacity of 1,388. However, with a limited audience, the occupancy of the crew cabins does not reach 100%. Costa still has two ships moored: the Costa Diadema and the Costa Fascinosa.

CNN learned that for the period with the ships docked without passengers, MSC released some movies on the TVs in the crew’s cabins, increased the internet package for them to make video calls with families and authorized the free consumption of items from the minibar. In the voluntary stoppage, crew members also gained benefits that were previously exclusive to passengers, such as the “pizza night” and cabins with a balcony.

The resumption of the season, however, depends on a political arm wrestling that is far from over. Bodies within the government disagree with the possibility of release. In the Ministry of Tourism, the reading is that there are “great chances” that the ships will return to circulate with passengers this summer, according to CNN. But a technical note from Anvisa sent last Wednesday (12) to the Ministry of Health, defends the total cancellation of the season, which has trips scheduled until the end of April.

The CLIA president told CNN that he has been working with local governments of cruise destinations and believes in a return. “We have taken the decision to extend the season suspension until February 4th in order to continue discussions with the authorities and align the necessary measures for the resumption of cruises. We are not measuring efforts to advance in these negotiations for a safe return, always putting people’s health and safety first”, said Marco Ferraz.

At the age of 23 in 2011, Túlio Melo embarked on his first cruise. Ten years later, he sees himself more mature as an artist and has built his career on the high seas. He is a singer in the onboard performances. In the last 11 days isolated in the cabin, he took two tests for Covid-19, both negative.

“This petition comes to show the population and our government officials, the authorities that it is a short period of the year, but that it is a very important short period. That on the cruise, people experience another world, they experience this world that is contagious, that is wonderful, that is the world of cruises,” he told CNN.

What worries Anvisa, however, is another type of contagion. The document delivered to the Ministry of Health accounts for 89,641 passengers transported between November 4, 2021 and January 6, 2022. In the same period, 670 cases of Covid-19 among crew members and 507 cases of Covid-19 among passengers were recorded.

In it, the agency argues that “the current scenario is unfavorable to the continuity of cruise ship operations”. “In this sense, based on the precautionary principle and based on all available data, this technical area recommends the definitive suspension of the cruise ship season in Brazil, as a necessary action to protect the health of the population”, concludes the text.

To CNN, the holder of the Fifth Board of Anvisa, Alex Campos, speaks of “radical and unequivocal change in the epidemiological scenario” on cruise ships. “The recommendation for the definitive suspension of the season is consistent with the decisions of local health authorities who, in the face of the exponential increase in new cases of Covid and the growing demand for health care and ICUs, decided to restrict or cancel events with the potential for agglomeration, like the carnival”, he says.

The Ministry of Health said in a note “that it closely follows the debate on the suspension of the cruise season”. They also state that “together with Anvisa, States and Municipalities, health issues are analyzed to assess the possibility of resuming services or not. The measures are defined by the Federal Government, in an inter-ministerial way, with coordination of the Civil House “.

Those who work in the sector fear the impacts of the possible definitive suspension. “A lot of people depend on it here. It is the only livelihood for many families, not only Brazilians, but for everyone else. Indian, Italian, Spanish, Filipino… Working on cruise ships is something very magical, you know? Its a school. We leave here prepared and able to work anywhere in the world, in any sector, dealing with any type of person of any nationality. And for two years we’ve been standing still, you know? And now that we’re back, I think we’re more prepared than ever, because from the first day we set foot on the ship, we’ve been taking courses and training for a new normal,” says Bárbara.

But, for Campos, before this ‘new normal’ it is necessary to be more cautious. “We all regret the interruption of the season. Brazil is a country of tourism. But, at this point, common sense and caution must prevail. Protecting people’s health is Anvisa’s mission and must be an absolute priority for all health authorities,” he said.

Reference: CNN Brasil

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